Goner is a solo dance and theatre piece which mingles cultural references to Black culture in Britain with a horror story. There is music and dance, but also murder. Repetitive dance choreography creates a hypnotic state, and the choices of when we are fully lit vs when we’re plunged into darkness are quite interesting, coupled with overloud sound effects, and lights which are at times so blinding the audience needed to cover their eyes. These choices were intentional, creating a discomfort for the audience and calling attention to our complicity as viewers of the act of performance.
Overall, the piece creates some compelling images and thoughts as it progresses, and in many was is quite aggressive in its overall aesthetic, which is thought provoking, however falls short of quite landing its message. If I’m honest, I can’t quite place my finger on what it was that I felt it was missing to achieve this. That said, it was incredibly well considered and masterfully performed.